And Then You Die
by Domomomo
Summary: And finally, Saki Konishi's pain was no more.


_In my headcanon, denying your Shadow isn't the only way to bring it to life, but surrendering just as well. Not to say that they're willing to face it and be strong, but they admit that it's all 100% true, being overwhelmed instead of overcome. From Saki's circumstances, I'd say this is the most logical route it would take. Also, this was written for Ke-Rose, who requested that I write one for Saki too! I hope this is as good as you thought it might be. Anyone else notice my fics are getting longer and longer? Anyway, enjoy reading!_

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She ran with all she had, glancing with fearful eyes behind her whenever a feral growl infiltrated her ears, each louder than the previous one. Harsh pants of exhaustion raced through her lungs, paranoia making the shallow heaves of oxygen inadequate.

_'What are those things? Mom, Dad, Naoki, help me...!' _Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, growing until they blurred her vision and caused her to trip over a pothole in the cement, the rough texture tearing and shredding her flesh. "A-ahhh!" she wailed, hastily wiping away the blood before stumbling to her feet and away from the hellish monsters that chased her.

Amongst the panicked fragments of thought a constant continued to reappear in her frazzled brain: What the hell was going on? Only an hour ago (or how she figured it was, but this place seemed immune to such earthly things as time) she had been at the police station recounting what she had witnessed to that detective when he went crazy. All of the sudden he was stalking toward her, his voice cursing and accusing her in a tone more chilling than her violent father's after a night of heavy drinking.

He suddenly snapped, the phrase "too far gone" never applying so perfectly as it had then. His eyes looked through her, fixed on an illusion born of his own psychotic mind, his voice distant as if the words weren't meant for her at all. In an instant his hands were on her and as much as she struggled, as much as she screamed she couldn't escape his bruising hold. With unexpected strength and ease he lifted her and threw her, and all at once she surged down, down, down...

Landing with a pained cry she scrambled to sit up, nearly connecting with the floor again as a wave of nausea overtook her. She winced as she stood and clutched tightly at her chest, instinct telling her that the added pressure would help to relieve the agony she was experiencing. A small portion of her mind noted in something akin to relief that nothing seemed to be broken, but she was certain that her ribs (and various other parts of her anatomy) would be bruised by tomorrow. In a rush of emotion the dam broke, tears cascading down her face as she screamed apologies to the sky. She was sorry for being a slut or a whore or whatever she was to him, assuring that she would never do such despicable things again if he would just help her, save her from this place and the intense rumbling that surrounded her, noises rising and falling in a demonic symphony.

Cackling filled her ears, her widened eyes shooting up to find the detective's head emerging from a black and white ripple in the air. "Get on your knees and beg, and maybe I'll let you out!"

And so she did. She had gotten onto her bruised knees and begged for her life, screaming and crying until her voice was broken and hoarse.

He wasn't coming back.

She had never felt so incredibly alone in her entire life, yet here she was anything but. Her suffering drew in the dark creatures like moths to a candle, and her only solution, the only thing she could do at this point, was to run.

Tears blurred her vision to the point where she could hardly see where her steps landed, but she continued to run with knees that continued to gush and ooze thick trails of blood, hoping her feet would carry her somewhere safe. Without warning the front of her foot hooked onto a protruding curb, sending her sprawling to the cement and scraping away more of the pale flesh of her knees and causing her to let out a sharp cry, uncontrollably loud and echoing the immense suffering. Her cheek and arms burned from the cruel friction against the ground, but all thought was erased from her mind at the sound of a voice.

_You think your job makes me proud? You think I'm proud of you for working at the place that's sending our store out of business?_

"D-Dad?" she whispered frantically, raising her head and whipping it from side to side in hopes of spotting him. "Dad! Wh-Where are you?" As she scrambled to her aching feet she continued searching her surroundings for the source of the voice, recognizing the place as the southern shopping district. Finally, a place she knew!

_As if you've done anything I'd be proud of. You're grades at school aren't good, you always come home late, and when you do you do absolutely nothing to help! You're useless!_

It was obvious to her that her father had been drinking again, but the thought was pushed aside; she didn't care if he was drunk or that he'd probably hit her, she just needed to be in her family's store, away from the snarling that seemed to lurk in every shadow. "D-Dad, I'm coming! D-Don't leave!" she wailed, but her hysteria despite this she ran. She ran as fast as her wounded body would take her, and she didn't stop once until she stood in front of the glass doors of her shop. She raised a violently trembling hand to the doorknob, struggling with it in panic before it clicked open, allowing her to rush inside and lock it. Her eyes immediately began to roam the room, finding not a trace of her father except for the tools and packages he'd left out from the shipping of wines they'd received the day before. "D-Dad, where are you? Please, don't l-leave! Where are you?"

_I haven't left, unlike you, you ungrateful little bitch. You abandoned our family._

Her eyes widened at his words, her mind flashing images of time spent with her insecure brother and comforting him, of laughing along with her mother as they made dinner. It gave her images of better times, when her father didn't drink and he doted on his children endlessly. It showed her times that were long gone, never to return. "N-No, I didn't! I-I'm still h-here, Dad! I c-care!"

"_**Really? I wonder if that's true."**_ Her head turned quickly to the staircase to find…herself? It was a perfect clone of herself, but…off. The other seemed to radiate a kind of darkness, frustration and loathing made manifest in the dark aura that surrounded it.

"Y-You? Wh-Who are y-you? Y-You're…y-you look just l-like me!"

The other smirked, golden eyes shining in sinister mirth. _**"That's because I AM you, idiot. Of course, I wouldn't expect too much from myself. I can't seem to do anything right, can I?"**_

"I-I can do plenty of things right! I-It's just…" she trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish. She'd been blaming her recent circumstances, but with the way the other was speaking…maybe she had a part in it too?"

The look on its face made it apparent that the copy knew her exact thoughts. _**"Please. It's no one's fault but your own. Don't even try lying to yourself; you've completely forgotten your family. You've been trying to run away from your problems by working, but you can't dodge it forever."**_

"N-No, I h-haven't been running away," she defended weakly, looking away in shame. She's tried to stay by her family; she did her best to protect them. "I-I…(_You're the most worthless daughter a father could ever have, worthless worthless worthless_)—I would never abandon my family!"

"_**Puh-lease,"**_ it drawled, _**"like you haven't noticed. You've seen Naoki, haven't you? Bruises on his arms and face and a total social recluse? Mom with that constant fear in her eyes, almost afraid to go outside? What have I done to fix this? Nothing. I've just run away to Junes, overworking, but at least I'm not as beat up as Naoki and Mom."**_ She'd attempted to speak up at this point, but the Shadow beat her to it. _**"But work is almost as bad. Hana-chan is so full of energy that it makes me want to puke. Can't he tell that I'm suffering? Why does he insist on making me happy, just so I can go home and remember that my life is shit? He's ruining me, the annoying little prick."**_

Had the situation not been so dire she might have blushed at the mention of Yosuke. "H-Hana-chan isn't annoying! H-He cares about-t me, and he's j-just trying to help…"

"_**A lot of help that is. He acts like life is just sunshine, and he can never understand how I feel. It pisses me off. I don't care if he cares; he doesn't know anything about me! Why can't he get the hint and let me suffer in peace?"**_

She crumpled to the ground, eyes wide and unable to register the blood that caked her legs. How could something so vile be so true? It made her…She felt like…

"I-I can't t-take this—I can't take this anymore! I-I want to just die already!"

Its eyes flared like yellow fire, the midnight shroud about it intensifying immensely. When it next spoke, the distorted monster's voice was laced with dark intent, but there was no way it could hide the relief that was there.

"_**I can help with that."**_

The Shadows pounced.

And finally, Saki Konishi's pain was no more.


End file.
